Virginia House
Filing Deadline: April 16, 2008 • Primary Date: June 10, 2008 • General Election: Nov. 4, 2008District Profile: With a large military population drawn from across the country (and with heavily black precincts placed in the adjoining 3rd), the 1st is now reliably GOP in most elections Full Profile
2006 results: Jo Ann Davis (R) defeated Shawn O'Donnell (D) by 63-35%. After Davis' death in Oct. '07, Rob Wittman (R) defeated Philip Forgit (D) in a Dec. 11 special election by 63-36%.
Incumbent
Rob Wittman (R)Elected in Dec. 2007; Seeking first full term.
Challengers
None
District Profile: Thirty years ago, most people in the 2nd were in Norfolk, and the district often voted for Dems. Now the majority live in Virginia Beach, and the district is firmly GOP. Full Profile
2006 results: Thelma Drake (R) defeated Phil Kellam (D) by 51-48%.
Incumbent
Thelma Drake (R)Elected in 2004; Seeking third term.
Challengers
Glenn Nye (D), former U.S. foreign service officer
District Profile: Politically, the 3rd is the most Democratic district in Virginia and the only black-majority district. Full Profile
2006 results: Bobby Scott (D) was unopposed.
Challengers
None
District Profile: The 2001 redistricting removed majority-black Portsmouth from the district and added heavily white parts of suburban Chesterfield County outside Richmond Full Profile
2006 results: Randy Forbes (R) defeated Albert Burckard (IG) by 76%-23%.
Incumbent
Randy Forbes (R)Elected in June 2001; Seeking fourth full term.
Challengers
Andrea Miller (D), software engineer
Albert Burckard (IG), volunteer firefighter
District Profile: Historically, politics here were Democratic, segregationist and conservative. Such Democrats are a rare breed these days, on the way to becoming extinct. Full Profile
2006 results: Virgil Goode (R) defeated Albert Weed (D) by 59-40%.
Incumbent
Virgil Goode (R)Elected in 1996; Seeking seventh term.
Challengers
Tom Perriello (D), international non-profit organizer
District Profile: In 2004 the 6th District voted 63 percent for George W. Bush, his highest percentage in a Virginia district. Full Profile
2006 results: Bob Goodlatte (R) won 75% of the vote, defeating Barbara Jean Pryor (I) and Andre Peery (I), who both received 12%.
Incumbent
Bob Goodlatte (R)Elected in 1992; Seeking ninth term.
Challengers
Sam Rasoul (D), businessman
Drew Richardson (D), retired FBI agent
District Profile: Eighty percent of the 7th's votes are cast in metro Richmond. This is one of the two most heavily Republican districts in Virginia. Full Profile
2006 results: Eric Cantor (R) defeated Jim Nachman (D) by 64-34%.
Incumbent
Eric Cantor (R)Elected in 2000; Seeking fifth term.
Challengers
Anita Hartke (D), Culpeper County Democratic Chair
District Profile: Politically, Alexandria and Arlington, once hotly contested, are now solidly Democratic, with gentrified older subdivisions and huge rental apartment complexes. Full Profile
2006 results: Jim Moran (D) defeated Tom O'Donoghue (R) by 66-31%.
Incumbent
Jim Moran (D)Elected in 2000; seeking 10th term.
District Profile: It voted narrowly for Clinton twice, and for 1996 Democratic Senate candidate Mark Warner, but by much wider margins, for George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004. Full Profile
2006 results: Rick Boucher (D) defeated C.W. "Bill" Carrico (R) by 68-32%
Incumbent
Rick Boucher (D)Elected in 1982; Seeking 14th term.
Challengers
None
District Profile: The 10th District is a Republican district, though like other Northern Virginia districts it trended away from George W. Bush in 2004. Full Profile
2006 results: Frank Wolf (R) defeated Judy Feder (D) by 57-41%.
Incumbent
Frank Wolf (R)Elected in 1980; Seeking 15th term.
Challengers
Vern McKinley (R), financial policy analyst
Judy Feder (D), Georgetown University program dean
Mike Turner (D), non-profit executive
District Profile: The district was first created in 1991, after Virginia got a new seat in the 1990 Census. It was originally designed to be equally divided between the parties. Full Profile
2006 results: Tom Davis (R) defeated Andrew Hurst (D) by 55-44%. Davis announced in January 2008 he would not seek an eighth term.
Republicans
Keith Fimian (R), accountant
Democrats
Lori Alexander (D), physical therapist
Leslie Byrne (D), former state senator
Gerry Connolly (D), Fairfax County Council Chair
Doug Denneny(D), retired Naval officer
Race Rankings
Based on likelihood of seat switching party control
1.
Ill.-11
(Open-R)2.
Va.-11
(Open-R)3.
N.Y.-25
(Open-R)4.
Ariz.-01
(Open-R)5.
Texas-22
(Lampson-D)6.
N.J.-03
(Open-R)7.
N.J.-07
(Open-R)8.
N.M.-01
(Open-R)9.
Ohio-16
(Open-R)10.
Ohio-15
(Open-R)Previous Coverage
Check out National Journal's coverage of previous Virginia house races.
